WFC2 head coach Alan Koch departs club to pursue new opportunity with FC Cincinnati

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Wednesday that Whitecaps FC 2 head coach Alan Koch has left the club to pursue a new opportunity with FC Cincinnati as director of scouting and analytics, and will also serve as an assistant coach.

“Alan helped build a solid foundation for our Whitecaps FC 2 team and we are thankful for the passion and commitment he showed during his time with the club,” said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. “We wish Alan all the best in his new role with FC Cincinnati.”

During the team’s first two seasons in the United Soccer League, the club has signed 10 Whitecaps FC Residency players to their first professional contract with WFC2; two players have gone on to sign with the first team in Major League Soccer. A total of 15 Residency products have made their professional debut with WFC2.

“Our search for a new head coach begins immediately,” added Lenarduzzi. “The primary focus of our WFC2 team will continue to be bridging our Residency program to the professional level and developing our young talent for first team opportunities.”

Koch, a native of Durban, South Africa, and resident of North Vancouver, BC first joined the club in 2009 as Whitecaps FC women’s head coach in the USL W-League. He spent the next seven years as the head coach of the Simon Fraser University (SFU) men’s soccer program before re-joining the club first as a college scout in the fall of 2014 and in January of 2015 he was named the first head coach of Whitecaps FC 2.

"I am incredibly grateful to Whitecaps FC ownership and management for the opportunity to help build the WFC2 franchise,” said Koch. “In a short amount of time, we accelerated several players’ development, and the journey to the USL Western Conference final this season with our young group is something that will long live in my memory. I wish the players, the staff, and the fans of both WFC2 and Vancouver Whitecaps FC all the best in future seasons.”